KNICK NOTES
ORLANDO – Quentin Richardson returned to the Knicks last night after a three-game absence, but coach Larry Brown did not have the heart to sit Steve Francis in his Orlando homecoming.
That is the future plan, however. Richardson, playing with a heavily taped thumb, will regain his starting spot, and Francis will head back to the bench.
Brown made a telling remark earlier this week, citing Richardson’s age of 25 when saying the guard could also be a cornerstone to the future. Brown had been asked why he doesn’t stick with Stephon Marbury-Francis.
“Any time Coach believes in you it’s a good feeling,” Richardson said. “He recognized I’m trying to do all the right things.”
Indeed, Richardson has been awful on the offensive end, especially on his specialty, shooting just 35.8 percent and averaging just 8.4 points. But he’s been their best perimeter defender, guarding the opponent’s top guard or
swingman.
Brown said he expects at least one guard to be traded this summer.
“I haven’t had discussion about that. I’m optimistic about everything,” Richardson said. “At the end of year, when he sits us down for evaluations, we’ll address all that.
“We’ll have some kind of idea where we’ll stand. I like New York. It’s a great city to do well in, and we have to get it together.”
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Francis, in his first game vs. Orlando since the trade, received a mix of cheers and boos during pregame introductions . . . The Knicks now have two open rosters spots, with Channing Frye’s seasonending injury. Brown said he will talk to president Isiah Thomas about bringing in a young player from the D-League.
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Brown started David Lee at PF, mostly because he played at Florida. However, Brown mistakenly said he was starting because Tallahassee was so close to Orlando. Lee played at Gainesville.
Brown never expected Frye to see as much action as he did.
“When I got the job, Isiah didn’t think any of the young kids would be in the rotation,” Brown said. “All of a sudden he got to play a lot, under difficult circumstances.”
